Jan 10

I had a chance to talk today with Todd McShay, ESPN’s draft expert, to get his thoughts on Oregon players who may go in this year’s NFL Draft.
Here are some of his thoughts:
First on quarterback Marcus Mariota, who maintained on Saturday that he hasn’t decided if he will leave Oregon after his junior year. Read more …

If Oregon needs a field goal to win the national championship, Tom Osborne will send out a freshman to snap to a freshman who will hold for a freshman.
“I don’t have any hesitation about that at all,” said Osborne, Oregon’s special teams coach. “Let’s go.”
Long snapper Tanner Carew, holder Taylor Alie, and kicker Aidan Schneider all said they would prefer Oregon defeat Ohio State by a large margin in Monday’s College Football Playoff championship game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but they won’t be nervous if they get the call in the clutch. Read more …

The Register-Guard’s Steve Mims, Ryan Thorburn and Austin Meek discuss the suspension of Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington and recap media day from the College Football Playoff championship site in Dallas.
Read more …

Jan 9

DALLAS — Marcus Mariota’s go-to-guy in the postseason did not make the trip here for the national championship game.
Oregon wide receiver Darren Carrington, who had a combined 291 yards and three touchdowns during the Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl, has been suspended.
Comcast Sportsnet first reported that Carrington failed an NCAA administered drug test with a positive result for marijuana. Read more …

Jan 8

With the national championship days away, here are plays that impacted the destiny of the Ducks, in chronological order:
1.) Ifo’s pick against MSU
Down 12 points, Michigan State was trying to stage a comeback with 8 minutes to go until Ifo Ekpre-Olomu made this interception off of a tipped pass. Oregon’s early victory over MSU set the tone for the season and proved the Ducks could compete on the national stage. Read more …

Jan 7

Here’s a sneak peek at my story on the exciting week aehad for UO OT Stetzon Bair. Read the full story in Thursday’s Register-Guard.
Oregon junior offensive tackle Stetzon Bair has more to look forward to in the next week than just the College Football Playoff championship game Monday against Ohio State.
Bair and his wife, Bethany, are expecting a baby and the biggest question now is whether or not he will arrive before the game or not. Read more …

The Register-Guard’s Ryan Thorburn and Austin Meek discuss Oregon’s historic Rose Bowl victory, Mariota vs. Winston and delve into the matchup with Ohio State in this College Football Playoff championship edition of The Duck Pod.
Read more …

Update: The team reacts to the Internet’s reaction via Chris Pietsch.
Original post:
On Monday the Ducks revealed the uniforms they will wear at the Jan. 12 College Football Playoff national championship. The white-on-gray uniforms were met with harsh criticism on social media.
What do you think? Let us know on Twitter by tagging @rgsports or comment below. Read more …

Jan 6

Devon Allen may have found a hurdle he can’t clear.
Oregon’s dynamic redshirt freshman wide receiver and TrackTown star said after Tuesday’s practice that it’s unrealistic to think he’ll be suiting up for the Ducks’ national championship game against Ohio State on Monday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Allen is the latest starter to suffer a leg injury after going down returning the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl. Read more …

Dec 31, 2014

Oregon and Florida State both consider themselves a national brand in college football.
The Seminoles just get to do a little more shopping locally.
Florida State has 83 in-state players on its roster for today‘s College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl against Oregon. The Ducks feature 21 players from their home state.
“Coach Fisher, he could probably drive two or three hours in a radius around his school and put together a pretty good ballclub,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said of his counterpart, Jimbo Fisher of FSU. Read more …

Dec 29, 2014

LOS ANGELES – Who leads Oregon in quarterback sacks?
It’s a question even the most diehard Ducks’ fan may not be able to answer and a name that most of the national audience watching Oregon play Florida State in the Rose Bowl on Thursday has never heard.
Derrick Malone, Joe Walker, Arik Armstead, Alex Balducci and Rodney Hardrick would be possible guesses for Oregon’s sack leader, but that group combined can’t match the 6.5 sacks from outside linebacker Christian French. Read more …

Register-Guard sports reporters Steve Mims and Ryan Thorburn bring you their takeaways from the Rose Bowl Media Day that brought players from both Oregon and Florida State in one place in one crazy morning at the Media Hotel in Los Angeles December 29, 2014. (Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard)
Read more …

Dec 22, 2014

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost remains an intriguing candidate for programs in the market for a new head coach.
According to the Denver Post’s Terry Frei, Frost was contacted about the vacant position at Colorado State, but Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is closing in on a deal to be the Rams’ next coach.
Frost was asked about the Nebraska job last month, but Oregon State’s Mike Riley was the surprise choice to replace Bo Pelini in Lincoln. Read more …

About …

Ryan Thorburn covers Oregon football for The Register-Guard. Thorburn came to Eugene from Boulder, where he covered the Denver Broncos (2000-'07) and Colorado athletic department (2007-'13) for the Daily Camera. In 2013, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for beat writing. Follow Ryan on Twitter @rgduckfootball.

About …

Steve Mims covers Oregon football, men's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. He has been a sportswriter at the paper since 1999 and covered high school sports while also reporting on Oregon football in the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl as well as men's basketball during their Elite 8 run in 2007 and trip to the Sweet 16 in 2013.